Since before the establishment of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, physical activity has been an essential component of a healthy life. Many people perform a variety of exercise routines to satisfy their needs physical activity. Some exercise routines have been adapted to target the strengthening and toning of specific muscle groups. More specifically, exercises routines may exist to target the strengthening and toning of gluten, hamstrings, knees, and other various muscle groups.
General exercises may be performed without the aid of specialized equipment, However, without utilizing specialized equipment, a user may not be able to isolate specific muscle groups that the user desires to strengthen or tone. Additionally, without utilizing specialized equipment, a user may not be able to maximize the effectiveness of his or her exercise routine, since the user will not be able to easily add resistance to the exercise.
The invention disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0245372, submitted by Mylrea, et al., has sought to solve these problems by providing a sliding element that may be repositioned in any direction on an exercise floor. The sliding element may allow performance of many exercises with reduced friction under the limb on the sliding element. However, an exercising party may desire to increase the friction applied to the limb being exercised to maximize the efficiency of the exercise routine being performed. Furthermore, the apparatus disclosed in the Mylera '372 publication may provide little control in the direction which a limb may slide. This lack of control may lead to improper form, minimizing the effectiveness of the exercise.
There exists a need for an exercise machine that may facilitate the performance of various exercise routines. Additionally, there exists a need for an exercise machine that may provide an increased resistance to the muscle group being strengthened or toned, resulting in increased efficiency when performing an exercise routine.